Embedded connection member

ABSTRACT

A durable holder assembly having improved mechanical and aesthetic qualities to hold heavy objects. The support portion for the assembly is formed via injection molding. The support portion contains on one side a structure for securing the hook to a surface such as a magnet, an adhesive, a suction cup, Velcro or a mechanical device such as an over-the-door bracket. The structure that secures the holder assembly to a surface is integrally formed with the support portion therein. A holding member, such as a hook, is also integrally formed with the support portion and extends downwardly from the support portion for supporting objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to supports for connection membersfor hooks, particularly injection-molded supports for hooks. Theinvention further relates to integrally molded connection members forsuction cups, hooks and other component parts.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Hooks and other fixtures are affixed or secured to a verticalsurface in order to hold other objects. Such hooks and other fixturesare commonly secured to the vertical surface via a securing device, suchas a suction cup, adhesives, magnets and mechanically engaging devices,such as an over-the-door hook. Hooks and other fixtures held by suctioncups are attached to the suction cup by affixing the hook or otherfixture over the neck of the cup. The neck generally has a cylindricalportion with an enlarged end. The end is either compressed or twisted asit engages the hook or fixture.

[0005] In other instances, a hole is provided in the hook or fixtureinto which the suction cup's neck is inserted. In each case, there is aloose fitting between the hook or other fixture and the suction cup,which renders the assembly (1) unstable, (2) prone to having the hook orassembly come apart, (3) reduces load capacity in that the hook could bedisassembled from the neck due to torque caused by the heavy load on theneck, and (4) an unaesthetic appearance in that it at least looks likethe hook or item could fall off the suction cup.

[0006] Another disadvantage with such conventional hooks is that hooks,by their nature, have a generally thin composition in order to holdobjects in a more secure manner, such as clothing. However, such a thinmake-up causes conventional hooks to be weak and facilitates potentialcracking or breaking when the hooks are plastic. With conventional hooksfit to be secured over the top of a door, the portion secured over thetop of the door must be thin enough so as not to cause damage to thedoor or door jamb and so as not to prevent the door from being opened orclosed. This thin portion fitting over the top of a door is also an areaof weakness that is prone to cracking or breaking when made of plastic.

[0007] Still yet another disadvantage is that many conventional hooksare secured to suction cups or other securing aids by glue, or otheradhesives. For examples a hook may be glued to a magnet for securing toa magnetic surface. The glue or other adhesive often times dries out orloses its adhesive qualities, thus causing the securing aid to becomeseparated from the hook.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,027 (Adams) describes a mold for theinjection molding of suction cup devices. The patent describes a moldand method for molding suction cups in which plastic is injected into amold cavity that is defined by at least two mold sections that define asuction cup. The disclosed mold allegedly prevents the formation ofplastic protrusions from the suction cup upon formation. Adams isbasically an example of a mold for molding a suction cup and thereforehas little relevance to the present invention.

[0009] Hooks, which are well known in the industry, are generally anintegral unit made of one material, such as a solid metal or a solidplastic, and can be secured over the top of a door or secured to asurface by a method as stated above. These hooks though are generallynot comprised of differing materials, such as one part plastic andanother part metal.

[0010] Injection molding is a process that is common and well known inthe industry. The injection molding process involves the use of two ormore dies which fit together to create an enclosed cavity. The cavity isformed in any desirable shape. Molten plastic is injected into thecavity and allowed to cool, thus forming a plastic figure of the desiredshape. Objects, such as stainless steel hooks, magnets, adhesives,fixtures, mechanical devices, and the like, can be partially insertedinto the die so as to become incorporated within the injection-moldedplastic upon cooling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It is an object of the present invention is to provide a holderassembly for a hook or other connection member, having a support portionthat is integrally formed with hooks, holding devices such ascontainers, mirror holders, or other devices forming part of the holderassembly for holding other items on the holder assembly, such asarticles of clothing, tools, kitchen or bathroom accessories and thelike. The term “support portion”, as used herein, means the portion ofthe holder assembly made of a material such as a thermoplastic, intowhich the hook or other holding device is firmly fixed.

[0012] It is another object of the present invention is to provide aholder assembly having a support portion that is integrally formed witha securing member, such as a suction cup, magnet, adhesive, Velcrodevice, or a mechanical support device, for securing the holder assemblyto another structure, whereby the support portion is immovable and fixedwith respect to the securing member and a part of the securing member isintegrally formed with the support portion and another part of thesecuring member is exposed and extends outwardly from the supportportion for securing the holder assembly to a surface of a supportingstructure.

[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide aholder assembly having a support portion that is integrally formed witha securing member so that the hook or other holding device can besecured to a smooth surface.

[0014] It is still yet another object of the present invention toprovide a holder assembly having a highly aesthetic appearance.

[0015] These and other objects of the invention may occur to thoseskilled in the art from the description to follow and from the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a front view of a holder assembly that has a supportportion integrally molded with a holding member in the form of a hook.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of aholder assembly having a support portion that is integrally molded witha hook.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a rear view of a holder assembly that is integrallymolded with a hook and having a support portion.

[0019]FIG. 3a is a side view of a holder assembly shown in FIG. 3.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a holder assembly that has asupport portion integrally molded with an assembly securing member inthe form of a suction cup.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theholder assembly shown in FIG. 4.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a side view of an over-the-door holder assembly having aplastic hook and an integrally molded metal over-the-door hanger orbracket.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a front view of an over-the-door holder assembly shownin FIG. 6.

[0024]FIG. 8 is a side view of a holder assembly that is integrallymolded with a hook and having a support portion and a hook portion thatare a single unit.

[0025]FIG. 9 is a rear view of the holder assembly shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The present invention is now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident,however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without these specific details.

[0027] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are now hereindescribed. Referring now to FIG. 1, one of the preferred embodiments ofa holder assembly according to the present invention is shown andreferred to generally at numeral 10. For purposes of explanation, theinvention is shown as a holder assembly 10 having an accessible hook. Inthis embodiment, holder assembly 10 comprises a support portion 20, anassembly securing member 22 and a holding member 30 in the form of anaccessible hook. However, it is noted that holding member 30 cancomprise a variety of other devices as well, such as soap dispensers,hanging shower baskets, hanging shower containers, toothbrush holders,razor holders, shower caddies, hanging mirror holders, toilet tissueholders, toilet tissue dispensers, towel rings, and the like. Supportportion 20 is composed of a moldable, thermoplastic that is made viaconventional injection-molding methods. Injection-molding methods andprocedures are well known in the art and for purposes of brevity athorough explanation of injection-molding methods and procedures isherein omitted.

[0028] Holding member 30 comprises an embedded portion 32 and anon-embedded portion 34. Embedded portion 32 of holding member 30 isembedded within support portion 20 by injection-molding and non-embeddedportion 34 of holding member 30 extends downwardly (or in any otherdirection) from within support portion 20 to ultimately provide thestructure for supporting objects. Holding member 30 further includes apair of substantially parallel coplanar legs 36 extending downwardlyfrom support portion 20 and ending in a lower curve 38 which extendsoutwardly from legs 36 to support other objects. Any number ofsubstantially parallel legs 36 may be employed.

[0029] Alternatively, holding member 31 (FIG. 2) may comprise a singlesolid metal member, or other like material, which extends downwardlyfrom support portion 21 and curves upwardly and outwardly to supportother objects. Holding member 31 (FIG. 2) is comprised of a durablematerial, such as stainless steel, but may alternatively be comprised ofany other durable material conventional in the art, such as aninjection-molded plastic or polyethylene, and the like. Support portion21 comprises a translucent, clear, opaque, or solid injection-moldedplastic that is molded over hook 31 and is formed into any desirableshape or design, such as a circle, square, rectangle, and the like.

[0030] Assembly securing member 22 provides support to holder assembly10 and secures holder assembly 10 to a structure, such as a door, wall,cabinet or appliance. Additionally, assembly securing member 22 isembedded into thermoplastic support portion 20 and extends outwardlytherefrom, as will be explained in greater detail below. In this regard,assembly securing member 22 could be an adhesive, a magnet, a suctioncup, Velcro or a mechanical securing device such as an over-the-doorhook for securing hook assembly 10 to a structure.

[0031] Referring now to FIG. 3, holder assembly 10 is shown from itsposterior end. In this embodiment of holder assembly 10, assemblysecuring member 22 comprises a securing device for securing hookassembly 10 to a vertical, planar surface. Examples of a securing devicewhich may be used to comprise assembly securing member 22 include amagnet, adhesive tape with a peelable backing fixed on a solid base orfoundation, or Velcro fixed on a solid base or foundation so that hookassembly 10 can be secured to a variety of smooth, vertical surfaces.Assembly securing member 22 is preferably molded in support portion 20along with holding member 30. As seen in FIG. 3a, assembly securingmember 22 comprises a solid base or foundation 22 a which is embedded insupport portion 20 and the exposed, or non-embedded portion 22 b,extends outwardly therefrom.

[0032] Turning now to FIG. 4, another preferred embodiment of holderassembly is shown and referred to at numeral 60. In this embodiment, anassembly securing member 64 is provided comprising a suction cup portion65 and a neck portion 66 that is molded in and embedded with a supportportion 62, thereby securing assembly securing member 64 in supportportion 62 and allowing suction cup portion 65 of assembly securingmember 64 to extend outwardly therefrom. Of course suction cup 65 can beany type of suction cup conventional in the art, such as a flexiblethermoplastic or rubber suction cup.

[0033] Holder assembly 60 further comprises a holding member 68 in theform of an accessible hook extending downwardly from support portion 62.Holding member 68 further includes a pair of substantially parallel,coplanar legs 70 extending downward from support portion 62 and endingin a lower curve 72 from which the legs 70 can support other objects, asexplained above. Alternatively, holding member 68 can comprise a singlesolid leg 71 (FIG. 5) that extends downwardly from support portion 62and curves upward to support other objects.

[0034] Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, yet another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is shown and referred to generally at numeral 80.Holder assembly 80 comprises a support portion 82 having a holdingmember 84 in the form of an accessible hook extending downwardlytherefrom and an assembly securing member 86. In this embodiment,support portion 82 and holding member 84 are injection molded togetherfrom thermoplastic material to form a single unit and a first verticalmember 88 of assembly support member 86 is embedded therein allowingassembly securing member 86 to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom.In this embodiment, assembly securing member 86 comprises anover-the-door bracket, or an inverted, substantially “U” shaped bracket,having 90° comers engaging the top of a door so that hook assembly 84 issuspended therefrom. As stated above, assembly securing member 86comprises a first vertical member 88 that extends upwardly from the topof support portion 82 so that the backside of first vertical member 86and the backside of support portion 82 are substantially planar,although this is not required. First vertical member 86 comes to a first90° angle 90 whereby assembly support member 86 extends via a horizontalmember 92 in a direction away from support assembly 80 to a second 90°angle 94. At second 90° angle 94, assembly support member 86 extendsdownwardly via a second vertical member 96. First vertical member 88 andsecond vertical member 96 are substantially parallel to each other andboth are substantially perpendicular to horizontal member 92. Horizontalmember 92 should be at least equal in length to the thickness of thedoor from which the bracket will be disposed.

[0035] Referring lastly to the device shown in FIG. 8, another preferredembodiment of the present invention is shown and referred to generallyat numeral 100. In this embodiment, a support portion 102 and a holdingmember 104 in the form of an accessible hook are combined and moldedinto a single, injection-molded unit 106. Holding member 104 of assembly100 extends downwardly from support portion 102 to form a single unit.Holding member 104 further includes a pair of substantially parallellegs 108 (FIG. 9) extending downwardly from support portion 102 andending in a lower curve 110 from which the legs 108 can support otherobjects. Alternatively, holding member 104 can comprise a single solidleg that extends downwardly from support portion 102 and curves upwardlyto support other objects. Of course holder assembly 100 also includes anassembly securing member 112, as those described above.

[0036] The invention in its preferred form thus includes a holderassembly for supporting objects having an accessible hook or otherholding member made of one material and/or a support portion made ofanother material, where one of the two materials is a thermoplastic sothat the other material can be embedded and integral therewith.

[0037] What has been described above are preferred aspects of thepresent invention. It is of course not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that many further combinations and permutations of thepresent invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention isintended to embrace all such alterations, combinations, modifications,and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:
 1. A holder assembly comprising: an assembly securing memberfor securing said holder assembly to a surface; a holding memberextending from said support member for holding and supporting objects;and a support portion integrally combined with said assembly securingmember and said holding member, said support portion comprisingthermoplastic material molded around said assembly securing member andsaid holding member so that said assembly securing member and saidholding member are embedded therein.
 2. A holder assembly according toclaim 1 wherein said holding member is an accessible hook.
 3. A holderassembly according to claim 2 wherein said embedded accessible hookcomprises a pair of substantially parallel coplanar wires extendingdownwardly from the support portion and terminating at a generallyupward curve extending outwardly from the plane of the wires, said pairof substantially wires merging at said curve.
 4. A holder assemblyaccording to claim 3 wherein said accessible hook is made from a metal.5. A holder assembly according to claim 3 wherein said accessible hookis made from a plastic.
 6. A holder assembly according to claim 2wherein said embedded accessible hook comprises a single unit wireextending downwardly from said support portion and terminating at agenerally upward curve.
 7. A holder assembly according to claim 6wherein said accessible hook is made from a metal.
 8. A holder assemblyaccording to claim 6 wherein said accessible hook is made from aplastic.
 9. A holder assembly according to claim 1 wherein said assemblysecuring member is selected from the group consisting of a suction cup,a magnetic device, an adhesive device, a Velcro device and anover-the-door attachment member wherein said assembly securing memberhas an embedded part embedded in said support portion and an unembeddedpart not embedded in said support portion and extending outwardly fromsaid support portion.
 10. A holder assembly according to claim 9,wherein said embedded part is a solid base.
 11. A holder assemblycomprising: an assembly securing member securable over the top of adoor; and a support portion integrally combined with said assemblysecuring member, said support portion comprising thermoplastic materialmolded around said assembly securing member and said assembly securingmember being embedded therein, and wherein said support portion furtherextends downwardly and ends in an upwardly and outwardly extending curvefor supporting other objects.
 12. An over-the-door hook assemblycomprising: an assembly securing member securable over the top of adoor; and a support portion integrally combined with said assemblysecuring member, said support portion comprising thermoplastic materialmolded around said assembly securing member and said assembly securingmember being embedded therein, and wherein said support portion furtherextends downwardly and ends in an upwardly and outwardly extending curvefor supporting other objects.
 13. A holder assembly comprising: aholding member for holding and supporting objects; and a support portionintegrally combined with said holding member, said support portioncomprising thermoplastic material molded around said holding member andsaid holding member being embedded therein and extending therefrom forholding and supporting objects.
 14. A holder assembly comprising: anassembly securing member for securing said support assembly to asurface; and a support portion integrally combined with said assemblysecuring member, said support portion comprising thermoplastic materialmolded around said assembly securing member.
 15. A holder assemblycomprising: an assembly securing member for securing said holderassembly to a surface; an accessible hook for holding and supportingobjects from said holder assembly; and a support portion integrallycombined with said assembly securing member and said accessible hook,said support portion comprising thermoplastic material molded aroundsaid assembly securing member and said accessible hook so that saidassembly securing member and said accessible hook are embedded therein,said assembly securing member extending outwardly therefrom and saidaccessible hook extending therefrom for holding and supporting objects.